New to detecting and have some questions

[2_Texas_newbies]

I bought a Garrett 250 for my son for his birthday (and also for myself although he does not know that). I am looking for places to go detecting and I am not sure where exactly is legal and where is not. Some examples

There is an old train depot that is in Orange. It is a Texas landmark, although the windows are boarded up and the place is falling apart. Is it legal to look around the train depot? There is an area of about 1/4 acre, grass surrounding it.

There is an old house that is up for sale. It was fixed up after Ike and no one is living there. Is that legal? And old houses in general, within the city, that are in neighborhoods with houses that people are living in. There are some VERY old houses in Orange that were torn up by Ike and some people chose not to fix them.

And Bolivar. Would taking a trip there and detecting be considered looting?

Abandoned schools?

Abandoned businesses?


Also, my parents have 200 acres in Colmesneil Texas, which I plan to check out, but there are a lot of unfenced areas there. I was looking for a place to go arrowhead hunting and there was an old settlement up there in Tyler County near Warren. Does anyone know exactly where that is? It was a white settlement that either moved because of the Indians or was killed by them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Dana

 

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[sqwaby]

Any posted historical landmark in Texas is off limits. Any place privately owned you should get permission or you could be charged with trespass. Public parks are a good place to hunt, state parks do not permit hunting. Be sure and cover all holes dug and disturb grass areas as little as possible. There are people just waiting to find a reason to eliminate stuff like MDing from parks and other public places.Get online and search the Ghost Towns of Texas website for info on old towns or visit the local libraries.

 

[texan connection]

You Just gotta ask permission, If its city property Just make sure there is no laws in the town, then go for it., be Carful with your holes and trash as you dont want any laws passed!
Bolivar, as long as your below high tide your not trespasing and your legal.
For sale realestate you can usally call the # on the sign and get permission if you talk nice, and agien be dilegent with your holes.
I was at the Ball field the other day and someone called on me said I was "digging up the baseball field"
Cops showed up, and I assured them i was not on the field (now that would just be plumb dumb)just under the bleachers. (the ground was to hard and my 2 holes were sloppy so I moved behind the field) There is no city ordinaces In Cameron so we just talked awhile and he asked what kinda stuff I find. I gave him my detecting card (always a good idea to have one) and told him if he ever needs to find anything just call me.

 

[2_Texas_newbies]

Thanks for the replies! We went to Lions Park in Orange today and they had posted what you could NOT do and everyone was doing those things anyway (skateboarding, bringing food inside the play area, etc), but it did not say you could not MD. At first we were looking in the grass and we got a lot of good hits, but that St. Augustine grass has a lot of roots and it is hard to put it back to where it does not show. So I decided to go inside the play area where there was mulch and we found all but one of the coins in there, right under the mulch, so we did not have to dig. But people were staring at us like we were really bad people, out to scoop up other people's stuff. But the only thing I felt bad about was the grass in the first hole we dug. We found a dime and filled the hole, but you could see the area where the grass had been uprooted. They were dropping cigarette butts in the kids play area and I even found broken glass in there and removed it, but I felt like a criminal with them staring at me.

 

[TexasDeere]

I just want to echo what everyone else is saying.

If it is public property, do some research and make sure MD'ing is not banned. Violating the rules can get you a ticket and your equipment taken away. If asking the question, always phrase your question as "Are there any rules or regulations that do not allow MD'ing?" My experience is that if I ask if it is ok, they might waffle and say that they prefer you didn't or something like that. Always ask if there is a rule prohibiting it and it will be a yes or no answer.

Second and I cannot stress this enough, if you are MD'ing in a park, school, or other public property, make sure you have the appropriate equipment to properly cut a plug and refill the hole. Leaving the grounds worse than you found them is one of the items that puts a bad light on this hobby. Try looking at the links on this web site or search youtube for some quick examples on properly digging. Some parks might not prohibit MD'ing but it might have a rule about damaging vegetation or something. Properly cut plugs and refilling holes should allow you to navigate around that rule.

Lastly, always seek permission on private property. Failing to do that can get you arrested or shot.

Best of luck out there and I applaud you for finding a great hobby to share with your son. You guys should make some great memories.

 

[sqwaby]

Always keep some of your trash digs to show when asked what your finding. It shows that your not just a taker, but someone that cares enough to clean up the area also. With all the bad press a few screw ups generate for this hobby, you need to always be at your best.

 

[east tx digger]

I usually just go to the local police station and ask if there is any restrictions on MDing. I have always been told to have fun and fill my holes. I also cut my plug all the way around and remove the plug so that I can replace the plug and the ground looks undisturbed.
Another thing I do is drive the old roads and look for old stores that are abandoned. Old schools, remember in the old days kids use to pitch pennies around the back of the school. HH

 

[TxTim]

If there is someone at the tot lot, I usually stay away. Hit them early on the weekends before they get there.